Crytek 
is a leader when it comes to graphics engines for videogames, but now it’s hoping to expand into film and TV.
The developer, responsible for such tentpole games as “Far Cry” and “Crysis,” is nearing completion on a production tool called Cinebox, which will streamline the creation of animation for any form of media.
Nintendo 
fortified its position in the family videogame market Tuesday, showing off the launch version of the Wii U, out this holiday.
Oddly, the Japanese gamemaker was light on details of what’s inside its next-generation console or how it will let users access apps from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video; instead its hourlong presser at the Nokia Theater was laser focused on the games that will appear on the new console.
J.K. 
Rowling is about to cast a spell on PlayStation owners.
The author of the “Harry Potter” series and Sony on Monday announced a collaboration that includes new stories from the wizarding world she created that will be brought to live on the PlayStation 3.
In the first 15 minutes of its annual pre-E3 press conference, Ubisoft had a surprise performance by Flo Rida, dancing girls and in-game footage of a topless woman being fondled.
The message was clear: Ubisoft is not fooling around with its latest crop of titles — clearly targeted at men.
Remember 
when Amazon.com was just an online bookstore?
As the Internet has evolved, Jeff Bezos and company have transformed with it. And while the site is certainly a retail powerhouse and dominates the publishing (and ePublishing) industry, Amazon has become a company with deep interests in other forms of entertainment — and those efforts are starting to bear fruit.
Facebook 
games — whether they tie into larger entertainment properties or are island unto themselves — tend to have a formula.
Make sure players can interact with their friends in some way. Don’t deviate far from the established handful of models that have proven successful. And never, ever, make a game that targets the core gamer. Facebook is casual territory.
The consumer electronics industry is forming a defensive line for in-vehicle entertainment systems.
On the heels of the National Transportation Safety Board recommending the development of technology features that disable the functions of driver accessible, in-car electronics devices when a vehicle is in motion, the Consumer Electronics Association voiced opposition to the proposal.
Fox is looking to extend the Ice Age.
The studio plans a trio of videogame tie-ins for the franchise — on consoles, mobile phones and Web browsers — to both whip up excitement about the film’s fourth installment this summer and give fans a way to stay engaged long after “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift” leaves theaters.
One 
of the last studio holdouts for Apple’s iCloud service has joined the fold.
Films from Universal Pictures purchased via iTunes can now be re-downloaded through the tech company’s iCloud program. That leaves only Fox among major studios not participating — a stance that’s expected to end in the near future.
The rise of in-car entertainment may have put U.S. automakers and the federal government on a collision course.
In Detroit (and other car manufacturing hubs around the world), there’s a growing focus on in-vehicle entertainment systems, which are fast becoming more elaborate. The Transportation Dept. and National Transportation Safety Board, however, are raising a red flag about distracted driving.
Chris Morris: Journalist 